Technological revolution after revolution

Technological advances have come so far in the past 100 years, the hard working farmers of 1914 would not have even been able to imagine the innovations of today.

Farmer and farm machinery enthusiast Morrie Maher, Wal Wal, south of Murtoa, Victoria, said recollections of his early days on the farm made him realise just how far things had evolved.

"We managed to get a Twin City tractor out of America, which was 45 horsepower (33 kilowatts), which was a big tractor for its time."

This compares to today's monsters used for sowing that can be close to ten times as powerful.

He said immediately after the Second World War farmers had difficulty getting equipment as a lot of machinery was tied up in the war effort.

"We didn't get our tractor until 1947, it had been ordered during the war (which finished in 1945).

"It was the first tractor we had with rubber, instead of steel, tyres."

Mr Maher said the biggest change in his time was the move to bulk storage and full mechanisation.

"I still remember having to bag the wheat off the header and cart it by hand across to the truck, and the opposite at sowing where we carted bags of super from the truck to where we were sowing.

"Nowadays you just have to flick a switch and the grain is augered out, it is a real luxury."

Following the Twin City, the Maher family got an International 1530 tractor, made in Geelong.

"It was wet at the time, and a long, slow trip home, with a top speed of 18 miles an hour (30 kilometres an hour), raining the whole way, so it took us three days to get it back to Wal Wal."

The tractors pulled a seven furrow mouldboard plough and a 16 hoe Horwood Bagshaw combine.

"There was no such thing as a cabin, let alone heating, air conditioning and radio."

At harvest, wheat bags were loaded onto the Ford truck, nick named the "Gaol Bar" model, for its distinctive vertical grill on the front.

It had a capacity of three tonnes.

"For every trip we do today in our semi-trailer, we'd have to do nine or so in the old Ford," Mr Maher said.

"It had an old crash (non-synchronised) gearbox, and you had to hold your breath to get the right gear, usually with a fair bit of grinding and groaning."

The Ford was the main freight vehicle on the farm for 20 years, until the family bought an International ACCO with double the capacity.

Most of the grain in those days went locally to the Lubeck site, whereas today, the Mahers' farm is considered close to the Murtoa facility, which draws from a catchment of up to 60km.

The Ford remains on the property enjoying a well earned retirement.

Farm machinery took precedence over any creature comforts, the family's first car did not come until the 1950s.

"It was a 680 Wolseley from England."

At harvest, a tow-behind HV McKay/Massey - Harris AL harvester did the job.

Mr Maher said its small capacity, of just nine bags of wheat, was frustrating.

"You'd do the box full, and then load the nine bags onto the truck.

"It would take about 50 bags for a truckload, and you could get about 40 acres (16.2 hectares) done in an absolutely massive day."

Mr Maher said during the evolution of machinery on the farm, he had retained a fondness for red machinery, through the Massey-Ferguson and International eras, right through to today's header, a Case IH 1688.

He said the increase in header capacity had improved operation significantly.

"Having a 70-bag box, and then the conversion to bulk handling in the late '60s it was such a time saver."

While content to leave new innovations such as GPS technology to the younger generation, Mr Maher retains a healthy interest in farm machinery through his involvement with the Dunmunkle Sumpoilers, a collectors' group, made up of about 100 vintage machinery enthusiasts.

The group has a collection of old and rare machinery housed in the former Freezing Works site in Murtoa.

"I've got an old four horsepower Crossley stationary engine that was made in England," Mr Maher said.

"It was brought out to Apollo Bay where it was used to run the milking machines.

Mr Maher said the old engines were built to last.

It's been a long journey from the deafening and bone shuddering machinery of the old days to today's sleek outfits, and Mr Maher was pleased to see the upgrades firsthand.

However, he said he still had a soft spot for the old gear - dwarfed in comparison to today's mighty machines, but top of the line back in the day.